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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

So you know that, not long ago, I told you about Dolcedi, the new sweetener from Rigoni di Asiago. While I was looking at the company website, I noticed some organic Italian honeys, available in quite a few flavors. I had the opportunity to try them, at no cost to me.

I chose three flavors of Mielbio Organic Italian Honey, all creamy. These are slightly more spreadable than the honey I'm used to, though it still flows.

The Rigoni di Asiago website says this about all of the Mielbio varieties:

Rigoni di Asiago honey is collected from selected Italian beehives. A natural food par excellence, honey requires careful processing to maintain its toning, vitalizing and soothing properties. Defined as “raw” honey because it is cold-processed (patented by Rigoni di Asiago) it is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and organic acids as well as natural antibacterial and antibiotic properties. Regular in-house inspections and independent certification authorities check the honey to guarantee the entire line from collection to the jar.

I'll start with my least favorite, which was Lime Honey. The label on my jar indicates that it's a Limited Edition, but the image on the Rigoni di Asiago website doesn't. The lime flavor--which I usually like--just didn't work for me. The sharp aftertaste reminded me of cough syrup. But keep reading: the other two flavors are far better!

My "medium favorite" (far above Lime and close to my favorite) was Orange Blossom Raw and Creamy Honey. Of the three, this has the most subtle citrus flavor. I tasted it straight from the jar and on my (sesame seed) bagel. I'd describe the flavor as having more depth than typical honey. The mild orange note--plus another that I can't identify--makes it more interesting than most other honeys.

And my favorite is the one pictured above: Mandarin Honey. This is produced by 26 bee colonies from pollen from Mandarin fruit, which we usually call Clementines. (I never knew that Mandarin fruit and Clementines are the same thing!) The orange flavor is more pronounced than in the Orange Blossom honey, but it's a more complex flavor than you'd get directly from the fruit. And it's not at all like orange-flavored candies: I'm a fan of orange jelly beans, but this is a completely different (more grown-up) taste!

I stirred a spoonful of this into my coffee (with milk) one morning ... then the next morning ... and the next. The orange flavor combined with the coffee was something special, and somehow the honey cut the bitterness of the coffee in a way that sugar doesn't. I also tried it straight from the jar and on my bagel, which were both very good. But the result of the coffee experiment was more surprising, in the best way possible.

Mielbio Mandarin Honey is definitely a Limited Edition flavor (you can read its whole bio), and it's available only at Whole Foods Market.